The present invention generally relates to facsimile apparatuses and more particularly to a facsimile apparatus for use in a so-called integrated service digital network (ISDN).
Construction of ISDN is currently in progress in various countries. In Japan, for example, commercial service of ISDN using a basic user/network interface has been started since April, 1988.
In the ISDN, various bearer services different in the bearer capability are provided such as a 64 kbps audio bearer service for telephones, a 64 kbps audio bearer service at 3.1 kHz for the G2/G3 facsimiles, a 64 kbps unlimited bearer service for the G4 facsimiles, and the like. The user selects one of these bearer services which matches to his or her terminal.
Meanwhile, facsimile apparatuses in these days use various functions such as the so-called one-touch dialing function or abbreviated dialing function in which predetermined dial number of terminal is assigned to predetermined key or registered in a form of abbreviated dial number. Further, a communication managing function for logging the date, destination and the length of communication as well as the accounting, is becoming common. Further, increasing number of facsimile apparatuses are equipped with a so-called relay function in which an image information received together with a relay command is further transferred to another destination designated by the relay command. Usually, a facsimile apparatus having the foregoing one-touch dialing functions is capable of outputting the list of dial numbers stored therein. Similarly, a facsimile having the communication managing function is usually capable of outputting the communication log as a communication management report.
When using the foregoing functions and to relay the informations while designating the destinations by using the abbreviated dialing function or the one-touch dialing function, it is necessary to know the content of the one-touch or abbreviated dial number stored in the relaying terminal.
Further, there occurs rather frequently a case in which a head office of a chain store and the like operating a number of stores wishes to know the communication log of the facsimiles of the stores in the chain.
In these cases, it is usual that an operator at a central terminal or in the head office calls the operator at the terminals in the chain store by telephone and ask to send the necessary informations. Thus, there is an inconvenience such that the human operator has to intervene the process of transmitting various management informations between the facsimile apparatuses in spite of the fact that each of the facsimile apparatuses has a capability of storing the management informations and outputting them as necessary.